Assorting apparatus



March 24, 1931. C, W. CANlNE 1,797,495

ASSORTING APPARATUS Filed March 2'7 1928 Patented Mar. 24, 1931 star CHESTER W. GANINE, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO ASSORTING APPARATUS Application inea March 2v, 1928.

My invention is an improvement in the art of asserting articles through the use of a number of series of tags, in which number of series each tag of the same series is similar to all et the tags of that series but ditiers from the tags of all of the other series, and tag holding devices which will each receive tags of a certa-in series and exclude those of dierent series.

rllhe objectot my invention is to provide an apparatus of the class described in which the apparatus for receiving the tags is made adinstable so that a comparatively small number of said tag receiving devices may be employed for a large number of tags, and Whereby the operator is positively prevented from placing a given upon the wrong tag'receiving device.

invention consists in the construction,

arrangement and combination of the various parts of the asserting device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinalter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation olf one et my improved asserting devices with a tag in postion therein. The dotted lines show part et the asserting device tilted to one side to permit the asserting bar to swing laterally.

Figure 2 shows a side elevationot same, one of the sockets ot one et the asserting bars being broken away te show its construction.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged, vertical, sectional view through the upper part of the ad-v justable key moving plate; and

Figure 4 shows a front elevation et a tag having a different arrangement et' key receiving notches.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the bracket designed to be permanently secured by means o' a bolt 11 topa supperU l The outer end oi' this bracket is provided with an upright plate 13, pivotally connected at its upper end to the bracket-s 10 and having a pin 13a fixed to it at one side and extended rearwardly and designed to engage a part of the bracket to limit the swinging movement of the plate.

The dotted lines in Figure 1 show this Serial No. 265,209.

plate moved laterally The plate 13 also has two downwardly extended key members 14 and 15, spaced apart from each other; rlhese key members are designed to have formed on them key lugs 16, and in each plate 13 the key lug 16 is arranged in a dierent position from that of the other plates.

Slidably mounted in guides 17 at the front of theplate 13 is movable key member 13 having a key lug 19 thereon. The top of the key member 18 is Jformed with teeth 20.

Extended forwardly from the center of the plate 13 is a sleeve 21 formed on the plate` 13, and in the outer end of the sleeve 21 is a screw 21a. Fivotally supported on this sleeve is a keyadjusting member 22 having at its lower portion a curved surface provided with teeth 23 to mesh with the teeth 20, and having at its top a series of openings 24 arranged concentrically with the sleeve 21, and each of these openings has adjacent to it a letter of the alphabet or other identilication mark, as shown in Figure 1. Fixed to the plate 13 is a pin 25 of such size as to readily pass into any one of said openings 24. The proportions of said parts are such that the outward movement of the member 22 is limited by the screw head 21a, to such an extent that the teeth 23 will not move out of meshv with the teeth on the movable key member 13, and this movable key member is held against outward movement at all times by the lugs 17, and against downward movement by its engagement with the upper ends of the key members 14 and 15, as clearly shown in Figure 2.

Mounted upon the sleeve 21 is a spring 26 normally holding the key adjusting member 22 toward the plate 13. Surrounding the `spring 26 is a circular spring housing 27 having a recess therein at 28, designed to per- Cil position directly below the indicator 29, and then when it is released, the spring will move it back into position where it will be locked against rotation by the pin 25, and obviously during this turning movement the key member 13 will be moved laterally so that its key lug 19 assumes a different position.

Mounted within the bracket 10 is a rotatable rod 30 projecting below the bracket and having at its lower end two oppositely disposed sockets 31.

I also provide a. number of tag supporting bars indicated generally by the reference numeral 32. Their lower ends are shaped to loosely fit into the socket members 31, and they are inclined upwardly and outwardly from the bracket, and their upper ends at 33 are arranged horizontally and are somewhat thicker vertically than the body portions of the bar, as clearly shown in Figure 2. I also preferably provide two smallopeningsq 34 in the opposite end portions of this bar to receive cotter pins 35, for holding the tags upon the bar 32 when the bar is removed from its socket 31. The tags are indicated generally by the reference numeral 36 and are preferably substantially rectangular in outline and formed with openings 37 in theircenters to loosely fit the enlarged ends'33 of the bars 32. Each tag is preferably provided with Va safety pin 33 and also with a key notch 39 at one side edge, and another key notch 40 at the top edge. Y

In practical use, and assuming that it is ydesired'to provide an asserting apparatus capable of handling ten lots of laundry articles, each lot containing the laundry articles of forty different customers, that is to say four hundred customers for the ten lots, I then-provide forty of the brackets 10 and the adjustable and fixed key members thereon.

rIhe spacing of the key lug 16 from the bot-V tom edge of the member l5 is different in each one of said members 15 from the spacing of the lugs of any other member 15. In a like manner the spacing of the notches 39 is varied from the bottom of the edges of the corresponding tags 36, so that forty different combinations may be provided by said keys, one for each customer of a given lot, and one lot for each of the ten positions ofthe key member. 19, making a total of four hundred combinations for the ten lots. These forty brackets are preferably arranged adjacent to cach other on a support 12.

I then provide four hundred sets of tags and safety pins, ,each set having a'different arrangement of the key notches 39 and 40, and in this connection I usually provide about ten tags for each set. rIhese, of course, are all alike. I also provide four hundred tag supporting bars 32, and place on each of them one set of tags and pins. The operator removes from one of the bars 32 some or all of the tags thereon and places them upon the different articles of a certain customers laundry, and the same proceeding is had with all of the other thirty-nine sets of tags in the first lot, hence, there will be four hundred or less articles in said lot. After the laundry articles have passed through the laundry operation, then the forty assorting bars are placed in the sockets 31 of the forty bracket devices. If one lot of tags has the letter E on them, as shown in Figure 4, then the operator moves the key moving device 22 to position with the letter E directly below the indicator 29. Then the tags with the goods attached thereto are removed one by one from a suitable receptacle in which the tagged finished laundry articles have been placed, and the operator glances at the number on the tag and places it on the bracket iaving a correspondino` number, and on that particular key device the notches 39 and 40 will exactly register with the key lugs 16 and 19, and hence the tag may be slid past the key device on the body of the assortingbar 32.

lVhen all of the tags in that particular lot have been distributed upon the key bars, and this is done after the laundry processes have been finished, then the operator turns the assorting bars on the bolt 30 laterally and rearwardly to the position shown aty the right in Figure Then a new set of asserting bars may be placed'in position Within the adjustable key devices and within the sockets 31.

The entire lot of bars with tags and laundry articles thereon are thenready for the wrapping department. If-the bars areremoved from the sockets 31, the Cotter pins 35 are first placed in position to prevent accidental removal of any tag from the bar. rIlhen' the articles are removed from the safety pins and the bars with the tags thereon'are ready for use, upon another lot.

Assuming that the second lot has the tags marked with the letter' A, as shown in Figure 1, then the operator sets the key adjusting devices of all the brackets to the position shown in Figure 1, and they stay in that position until all of the second lot is assorted. By this means the operator performing the asserting is enabled to perform a continuous assorting operation and the operator who removes the articles from the assorting bars may also perform a continuous operation.A

By means of my improved adjustable key device, it is obvious that there need be, say for instance, only forty of these keydevices 'and their brackets, to accommodate four hundred differently notched tags, there may be as many similarly notched tags as desired. Furthermore, the sliding key members 18 may be all exactly alike and each of the forty stationary key members 14 need have only one key lugY v16 thereon, to accommodate four hundred different kinds of tags.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an assortingapparatus, the combina;

tion with a support having a socket, of a bar movable with respect to said support and having one end received in said socket and provided With a tag carrying body portion, and a member movable relative to said bar,

and provided With a channel normally arranged to permit the passage therethrough of tags over said end onto said body portion, and adjustable means on said member to vary the contour of said channel to prevent the passage across the free end of the bar of all tags except those of a predetermined outline.

2. In an asserting apparatus, the combination o a tag supporting member designed to receive and support tags, and a tag selecting member provided With a channel normally arranged to permit the passage of tags therethrough and upon the tag supporting member, and an adjustable key means on said so selecting member to vary the contour of said channel to prevent the entrance into the channel of all tags except those of a predetermined outline.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a tag selecting member having a channel through Which a tag may be passed, an adjustable key member slidingly mounted upon said tagselecting member having a rack carried thereby, a toothed se sector pivotally supported in mesh with the rack, and movable to various positions of adjustment and means for locking it in any position of its adjustment.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a tag selecting member having a channel through which a Ytag may be passed, an adjustable key member slidingly mounted upon said tag selecting member having a rack carried thereby, a toothed sector pivotally supported in mesh With the rack, and means for moving the toothed sector to various positions of adjustment and for locking it in any position of its adjustment, said tag selectingmember having its tag receiving channel open at the bottom, and said tag selecting member being pivoted at its upper end, for the purposes stated.

5. In an assorting apparatus, the combination of a tag supporting member designed t0 receive and support tags, and a tag selecting member provided With a channel normally arranged to permit the passage of tags therethrough and upon the tag supporting meinber, key means on said selecting member capable of movement to predetermined positions for varying the contour of said channel to prevent the entrance into the channel of all tags except those of a predetermined contour, and means for fixing said key means in any of its predetermined positions of movement.

CHESTER W. CANINE. 

